The Botany Of Desire Analysis

Sarah Smith

Professor Harrison

ESRM 100

15 May 2017

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World

Throughout The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, the author argues that the coevolution of plants and humans is seen within the relationship of humans manipulating plants to fulfill their desires. Pollan touches on four main examples where coevolution can be easily seen throughout history and the present. The apple satisfies sweetness, the tulip beauty, marijuana intoxication, and the potato control. As we are benefitting from evolving the plants for our own interest, the plants themselves are benefitting as well. The environmental message of the book surpasses that of coevolution and dives into the technology of genetic engineering

He traveled in a hollowed-out log with orchards worth of apple seeds with him and is a classic demonstration of the mutual benefit between people and plants. Humans give themselves too much credit when it comes to dominating and controlling other species. We believe that we can domesticate every plant, while in reality the process takes two to perform. For example, the oak tree denies domestication from humans, instead interacting primarily with squirrels. The squirrels are able to receive food through the acorns of the oak, while the oak benefits by the squirrels burying some of the acorns for the benefit of oak trees, resulting in no need for humans to step in to the perfectly functional arrangement. The relationship between humans and the apple was much the opposite, both benefitting greatly from one another. The apple has heterozygosity, meaning it has an immense amount of genetic variability. This allows the plant to easily grow in different climates, and by doing so it creates millions of different species. Johnny Appleseed played an important role in the establishment of apples all over America, managing to plant a chain of nurseries reaching from Pennsylvania to Indiana. He was welcomed into people’s homes as a legend, and in return for hosting him, Chapman would plant a few apple trees for them as a sign of thanks. Many settlers along his route also encouraged him to plant nurseries nearby, due to the apples main value back then being to produce hard cider. Chapman became a transporter of alcohol, as the apples were far too sour for anyone to eat on its own, and his popularity grew even further. The Prohibition came along, and the strike down on alcohol meant the cutting down of Chapman’s trees. Because of his extensive efforts to spread the seeds of the Apple tree, the